Taming,The Gomorrah of The Plains
by LadyKRedzz
Summary: Ok, after writing,Grace,Through the years... several readers asked about Julia the mystious woman in Dodge asking questions ? So I decided to do this follow up that with explain her presence in Dodge city...sorry for any confusion


Disclaimer: Just taking our Friends out to Play , will put them back when I'm done!

Taming, The Gomorrah of the Plains? Dillon, did he or didn't he?

By, Julia Munro

New York City

Sitting in a huge office behind a large walnut desk, sliding the clean white paper into the typewriter, she was now smiling to herself. "I guess I owe this to all my readers as well as to myself." She thought as she began to type.

Let me begin by Introducing myself. I am Julia Munro, daughter of Winston J. Munro, publisher of this paper. Most of you may know me as the only daughter. I have four brothers. They all have followed in my father's footsteps and will someday take over and run his empire. But In this day and age this is a time I feel I too have a place in the family empire.

So, I have listened to our readers and decided to bring you what I feel you have been asking for, for quite some time. But I must tell you; you might be quite surprised as was I.

For many years we have been regaled with stories of Billy The Kid, the James brothers, the Erps and so on. But some time ago, I was listening across a conference table to my father and brothers and others here at the paper. They were talking about a man out west, a specific man who, over a span of three decades, had made a huge difference.

I could not believe my ears. This had to be a myth, some made up child's fairy tale. It had to be some tale of a man with a big ego. So, I decided to make a trip out west and see for myself. I wanted to see this giant of a man, this giant who tamed the Gomorrah of The Plains.

Dodge City, Kansas

Two weeks Later, she was riding into Dodge City, Kansas with an associate, Robert Baxter.

"Julia, what do you hope to find here?"

"Oh now, Robert. You don't really think like father and my brothers, do you? You don't think that this man, Dillon, single handedly tamed this place, do you? I heard he's a big man but…"

"Julia, I'm sure he has his problems at the beginning and he didn't snap his fingers..."

Waving her hand at him, "I'll bet you, when we talk to these town folks, you'll see. Robert, you'll see."

Pulling in to the depot, Burke and several others were there to greet the stage. Doc stood there talking to Carl.

"Howdy, Doc. Got a package fur ya."

"Good, just what I was waiting for, Carl." Carl nodded, tossing it down.

"Pap, is that what we needed?"

"Yep, Gracie."

Grace noticed the woman and man getting off and looking around. Then she heard the man ask about a hotel. Festus pointed him towards the Dodge House.

While walking to the hotel, Julia noticed Festus' badge. "Mister..."

"Haggen, Ma'am. Festus Haggen."

Nodding, "Mr. Haggen, I see you're a deputy?"

"Yes'um. I work fur Marshal Dillon. Matthew, he's my friend."

"Your friend?"

Smiling, "Yes'um. Ol' Matthew, he's as good a friend ya kin have, ya know."

"Well, I guess. I don't know your Marshal."

"Ah, fiddle. You can ask near anybody in Dodge."

Tilting her head, "I just might do that, Mr. Haggen."

Robert led her into the Dodge House. "Julia, let's check in."

Later, I began strolling around Dodge. I'd stop in the café' and listen to the chatter then ask idle questions. I was a bit surprised that the answers were that the folks were praising Marshal Dillon.

One man and woman told me of a time when the Marshal went out in the middle of the night looking for their boy who'd run away from home. It was not exactly something in his job duties.

Another couple talked about when he got everyone together, to save their boy that fell into a well, they were digging. They spent two days and nights. And there was when Ed and Martha Vale's daughter was taken by Kiowa, which turned out really not to be what they thought. Matt helped search for her.

They began telling me how they wouldn't have stayed in Dodge and made it their home had it not been for Marshal Dillon making Dodge a town that was safe to live in. I had to ask. "What do you mean exactly?"

"Well, Ma'am, Dodge was a town with no law. It was just a cattle town. Drovers ran through here. It was wild. The streets weren't safe for families. Matt Dillon changed all that."

"But isn't it still a cattle town?"

"Well, yeah. But he keeps things controlled. When the drovers come to town he keeps the drover bosses in agreement of his rules."

"I did see several saloon's."

"Yes, Ma'am, you did."

"I guess he's paid well for them to stay in business."

"Oh, Ma'am, I'm a farmer. You'd have to talk to Miss Russell and Bull about that. But…" now chuckling, "I doubt that. Now if you'll excuse us." And they left.

Not sure why he chuckled at my asking. I walked across the street to a place called the Bull's Head. The place was empty as I entered. Behind the bar was an elderly man with a beard. "Hello. Are you Bull?"

"Yeah. What can I do for you?"

"Answer a few questions?"

"Like what? About what?"

"Oh, the town, Marshal Dillon."

"Lady, I have things to do."

"Please?"

"Look, what do you want?"

"What did it cost you?"

"Huh?" He looked over his shoulder.

What did it cost you to keep this place open? I'm not green, Mr. Bull. I know how these town Marshals are. They get a cut, right?"

"Lady," he said. "You obviously never met Matt Dillon. Now I have work to do."

So I left. That's when I made my way back towards the hotel.

Over the next few days, I decided to walk around town. I thought I'd try talking to Marshal Matt Dillon himself. But for some reason this is definitely a man of few words. And as I'm slowly finding out, he's surrounded by, I'm smiling, strong women. I say this because that's when I met his young daughter. Young Grace Dillon, who did not have a problem telling me what she thought. That now confirmed for me that the Marshal did have a particular woman in his life. There were always the stories but now...

My next stop was a group of town's women.

Standing on the boardwalk, I decided to start up a conversation. I was asking for their opinion of the town Marshal. It started out favorable, but then turned. When they got to talking about his choice in companionship, his wife. And surprisingly to me, once again, I met with his daughter, Grace. She took on those bold, bitter, brutal and demeaning women that had no problem tearing apart her mother.

From what I was hearing from young Grace, her mother was a woman that contributed to these ladies' Ladies Aid Society Organizations, one's husband's church funds to keep it running and she fed and clothed families in need. I was taken a back. Grace paid no attention to my presence. She just walked away with the doctor and a redheaded woman who I believed to be her mother.

My next visit was to a saloon called the Long Branch. I'd heard my father mention this place. It had quite a reputation. When I entered, no one was there except a big man with a mustache behind the bar.

"Hello. Can I help you, Miss?"

"Munro." I said. "Julia Munro."

"Well, Miss Munro, you looking for a job?"

Laughing, "No. Can you sit and talk with me just a minute?"

Sam sat, curious. "What can I do?"

"Answer a few questions about the Marshal and his wife."

"Oh, Miss Munro, I can't. I think you should speak to Marshal Dillon yourself. I'm not comfortable with..."

"Oh, come now." And before I knew it, I heard another voice.

"I believe you got your answer, Miss Munro."

When I turned, there in the door of the back room, was a beautiful redhead. The same woman I saw earlier with the doctor in the street, I believe. She was the Marshal's wife, Grace's mother. She was a picture of Grace or should I say Grace was a picture of her. So this was the mystery woman I always heard my father speak of. Miss Kitty Russell, now Dillon.

"Well, Mrs. Dillon. What a pleasure."

"Is that a fact?" She didn't look pleased to see me.

"Oh now, Mrs. Dillon. Don't get the wrong idea."

'And why would I do that?"

"I just wanted to talk to your..."

"Ah, my bartender, Sam?"

Nodding, "Sam, yeah, Sam here, about the Marshal and..."

"And me?"

"Well, yeah but..."

Then she looked at me with burning eyes. "BUT NOTHING! Miss Munro, neither myself nor my husband would care to have our private lives sprawled across your paper, article or whatever. We've lived our experiences and that's enough. So if you don't mind." She was now showing me to the door and making it quite clear she wasn't going to talk to me in any way.

A few days later, I did talk with a few ladies that worked at the Long Branch and to my surprise again, the four ladies raved about working for Mrs. Dillon. They insisted she paid them much better then any place they'd ever worked. She treated them like family, made sure they were well cared for, always protected them from harm. She always encouraged them and they felt she built their self-esteem.

I tried and tried, talking to everyone. I was told many stories about how both Marshal Dillon and Kitty Russell Dillon repeatedly put themselves in danger for not only one another but also for the sake of the town folks.

Nathan Burke, he was the freight office manager, told me of a time, oh, twenty plus years ago, before the Marshal and Mrs. Dillon were married. There were a group of outlaws who came to Dodge late at night. The leader was angry that Marshal Dillon had captured his younger brother and took him in for trial and hanging. So, in revenge, they came to Dodge looking for the Marshal's family. When they couldn't find a family, they decided to gather all the town folks, demanding to know who the Marshal's woman was.

Mr. Burke was one of the men and was held, along with Sam Noonan and Mr. Lathrop, with Knives held to their throats. Mr. Burke said, "We would never have told them. Honest! But Miss Kitty, she stopped them. Gave herself up. They kidnapped her, held her for three days. They tortured her, drug her back to Dodge then shot her in the middle of the street in front of everyone. She didn't have to protect us. She didn't. But she did. She let them take her to save our lives."

"Another time she saved this whole town against a gunfighter and his gang." I asked how. And he said, "Playing poker." I laughed at first but from what he said it not only saved Marshal Dillon but it saved everyone's money and possessions as well.

Just after that, I noticed, outside Mr. Jonas' general store, Sam, Mr. Burke and Mr. Jonas filling a buckboard with goods stacked high. As I listened, they talked about how these goods would go to several families experiencing hard times.

Sam handed Jonas an envelope. "This should cover it."

"Thank you, Sam and thank Miss Kitty." Burke smiled on and Jonas looked to Sam. "The woman is an angel. What would we do without her? And she thinks no one knows." Sam just nodded.

As I walked closer, "Mr. Jonas? That's an awful lot of goods."

"Yes, Ma'am. It's for some families having hard times."

Then Burke jumped in. "Yeah, Miss Kitty sees to it that no one goes without."

"BURKE!"

"Well, Jonas..."

"Burke, I don't think you should be... Oh, Burke, you talk too much."

I looked to Mr. Burke. "You mean Mrs. Dillon..."

Nodding, "Yeah, even from her sick bed." Burke answered.

After hearing all of this, I walked back to my hotel room and waited for Robert.

I had a lot of thinking to do. My two weeks In Dodge were… Well, they were an eye opener. I went into this, looking to debunk this myth about this man that everyone talked about and wanted to put up on a pedestal. I truly thought I was just going to find yet another gun wielding cowboy of the wild west.

But now, as I sit here back home in New York, digesting and reviewing everything I have learned, I now see the man, who has dedicated his life to the law and this country and the woman. She is a woman that, for three decades, gave her life to be by his side. She is his friend, companion, confidant, lover and wife. And as one old doctor in Dodge City quoted to me, they were two people with one heart.

For those who know and love them, I'm telling you nothing new. For the rest of us, the world needs more like him, them in our future. As of now, from what I understand, Grace Dillon, the only daughter of Marshal Matthew Dillon and Kitty Russell Dillon, future plans are to go off to medical school to become a doctor. She will be following in her Pap-Pap's footsteps.

This is one young lady, I feel, is very well rounded and well guided. Meeting her father, mother, grandfather and three of her five godfather's... Yes, I said five... I found that she has been surrounded by much love and support.

So, in conclusion to my story...

This country has been fortunate to have found a man such as Marshal Matthew Dillon. And those in the west who have benefited from his great deeds, should be in his debt.

I thank you all for this opportunity, and I am most grateful for the enlightenment.

Julia Munro, New York Globe


End file.
